A'ja Wilson leads WNBA MVP race at 26.6 PPG
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- A'ja Wilson is the front-runner for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, averaging a league-best 26.6 PPG with 9.6 RPG (3rd) and 2.0 BPG (2nd), and told ESPN she has 'been the goat since '96' — the year she was born.
- Olivia Miles is both the Rookie of the Year front-runner and a legitimate MVP contender, guiding the 25-6 Lynx (3½ games ahead of the Aces) with 19.7 PPG and 5.8 APG — team highs for Minnesota.
- Caitlin Clark is statistically the most well-rounded guard in the MVP mix (21.5 PPG, No. 3; 8.0 APG, No. 2), and the Fever's WNBA-record 14 games of 100-plus points reflect her impact on the league's top-scoring offense.
- Paige Bueckers has driven the Dallas Wings into the top four after a 10-win season a year ago, joining Clark as the only players averaging 20-plus PPG and 5-plus APG while shooting 56.2% from inside the arc.
- Jessica Shepard is the Most Improved front-runner after her usage rate jumped 16% year-over-year in Dallas, becoming one of just two players averaging a double-double (14.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG).
- Cheryl Reeve is the Coach of the Year front-runner after the Lynx opened with the fifth-best title odds, lost four of their top seven scorers in free agency and played without Napheesa Collier until July 22 — yet still hold the league's best record.
Why it matters: A fifth MVP for Wilson would extend her record and reinforce her self-described GOAT case, though her Aces trail Minnesota by 3½ games, reigniting the individual-vs-team-success debate among voters. Miles is on pace to be just the second rookie in WNBA history to finish top-three in MVP voting after Candace Parker in 2008, meaning even a runner-up result would mark a generational handoff moment.
